Through Different Circumstances
by imaninja41
Summary: Earth 15's Jason Todd and Justine Todd meet in much different circumstances than there dimensional counterparts. Might be a one shot, reviews will help me decide if I should slap a few more chapters on here. Rated T for violence.
1. Wayne Enterprizes

Jason watches everyone as they glide across the ballroom floor, or mingle with the crowd, laughing about jokes that he honestly doesn't care about. The billionaire playboy routine is something he has to do, just like Bruce.

He looks around again, every person generally acted in the same way. Flawless posture, lightly joking, and of course, drinking alcohol. Everyone belongs here, just not **her**.

**She **is standing in a small corner of the room, watching people just as he was, looking for someone.

Dark red hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She hasn't gotten out much.

She might attempt to mimic everyone's mood, smile, laugh, get a little bit drunk, and she's fooling them, other than the drinking part. She can't be older then sixteen, and they know it. Some might be confused, one even came up to ask her who she was, and she smiled; laughing a little, she spoke, and he watched out of the corner of his eye, reading her lips.

She tells him her name, but completely avoids any further questions by telling him a well placed joke. When he laughs, she manages to convince him to leave her alone by telling him that she thinks his date would love to hear it.

He walks away, and her eyes wander around the room once more.

Just like everyone else, her posture is perfect, but in a different way. She might look like she's just standing there to the untrained eye, but he knows, by the slight bend in her right knee, the way her body is angled slightly to the right, and her fingers slightly curled, she's ready to fall into a fighting stance. This intrigues him.

She finally looks at him, and when he sees her eyes directly, he's taken back. They look like the eyes of a woman he once loved, way back in high school. Whether that woman is still around, he doesn't know. She cut any relations with him long ago.

She mouths something, and he reads her lips instantly. What she says completely catches him off guard, but he doesn't let it show. _Talia sends her regards, Batman._

He slowly walks over to her side of the room, acting like he's going for the refreshment table, then onto the dance floor with a random woman he found there, and then finally he ends his dance with the woman, and now walks right over to the girl, and she smirks up at him.

The smirk takes him back as well, he does not let it show. They stare at each other, until the girl finally speaks. "I need to speak with you in private, Mr. Todd."

The way she says his name is odd, as if she envy's his last name. He doesn't know why, it's not the uncommon of a last name.

He nods, and the play boy mask is back on instantly. He puts a hand on he shoulder, guiding her into Bruce's study. He has trouble thinking of it as his now, but , it needs to be for this situation.

He sits down behind the desk, and regards her the way Bruce had always regarded him when he was in the wrong.

"You don't scare me." She says, sitting across from him and looking completely relaxed in what he used to consider hell in his teenage years.

"Is that so?" He asks. It's not his voice he was using, it's Batman's. "I'm curious as to why Talia would tell you about me."

"Well, the reason is actually something I'm ordered to make you figure out for yourself." She says, "Other wise I would tell you right now, and enjoy watching the mask your putting on crumble, and have a lot of fun just watching every emotion you're trying to hid be so clear on your face, it would be like reading a child's picture book."

"I don't think Talia sent you here just to send me her regards." He says, finally realizing Talia has been up to no good.

"She didn't." The girl stands up, "She sent me here to tear your world apart." She flips over the desk, trying to hit him and he casually leans out of the way, and she stumbles, but catches herself.

The kick she sends at his head, he easily catches, yanking her foreword and driving his fist into her stomach.

She gasps, but grabs his fist, and easily breaks his wrist, hitting it as he tries to draw it back.

He flinches, and then actually gets serious about the fight. By the time he calculates exactly how this fight will end, the girl has already punched him in the mouth. She goes for another punch, but he's already pulled out a chloroform sprayer.

She sees it, and tries to kick it out of his hand, but once again he grabs her foot, and yanks her right into the path of the sprayer. Within a few seconds, she's passed out on his office floor.

She's good, her stance flawless and he kicks powerful. He'll have bruises later on his hands, and his face. He wastes no time in taking her down to the cave, quickly putting her on a hospital bed in one of the cells in the cave, and strapping her down. When she woke up, this would slow her down, hopefully.

He checks the unconscious teenager for weapons, and is surprised at how many knives she was able to hide in her shoes. He's actually very surprised at how her earrings, which he thought to be pearls, were able to be yanked off and used as smoke bombs. She knew who she was up against, and she wasn't stupid.

He takes her blood, running it in the scanner. This is protocol, Bruce did it every time, to anyone. As the test runs, Jason has already made his own conclusions, and it's not surprise the test tells him she is his daughter, his and Kimberly Mathilda.


	2. You Better Run Like The Devil

As soon as I woke up, I knew it was all wrong. The medical bed I was strapped to, was my first indication, as was the ceiling. Rocky, dripping wet, and filled with bats. I tried not to make to much noise, to just look around, and see my surroundings.

First important thing I saw was a security camera. Crap, if he was watching, he knows I'm awake. I looked down at my wrist, were a dull pain was.

A medical bandage, like after you got a shot. Only question is, did he give me a shot or take blood?

I cursed, and then felt around for a weapon, any weapon, but found none. He searched me pretty good. I looked around, and saw a stair case a few feet away, leading up to another cave platform. I jerked to the side, and the bed rolled a few inches, and I jerked again. I didn't have much time.

Finally, I made it to the edge of the stairs, and shoved again. The bed fell, and the straps securing me to the bed, their clasps hit the edge of the stairs, and broke off easily. Of course, I still fell face first onto the stairs, and that hurt. Very much.

I cursed again, in Russian, and pushed off of the stairs, then turned towards the camera, and flipped it the bird, before running up the stairs, trying to get out of the cave.

I reached what must have been the main room of the cave, if you can call it a room. There I saw it, the bat computer. Next to it, on a side table, laid all my weapons. Idiot, he knew there were chances of me escaping, he should have hid those, or at least put them somewhere other than the most used and easily accessed room in the Bat Cave. I walked over to it, pulling out flash drive.

Before I could plug it in, I saw a tab that caught my I, it read, DNA.

I clicked on it out of interest, and it opened, revealing a picture of me, and one of Jason Todd, across from each other, with the words, DNA Test Positive, Father and Daughter written in between him.

_Oh God, please tell me he hasn't seen this_. I begged.

"Did you know?" Asked a voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder, scowling.

"Of course I knew." I said in disgust. "I've known since I was five."

"I see." He said. "Was I not supposed to know?"

"No." I ground out. "You weren't. This is for snooping." I jammed the flash drive into the computer, and clicked download.

Immediately, the computer responded, pop ups springing up and the screen turning red. Two thousand three hundred viruses unleashed onto one of the best computers in the world. I saw a look of horror flash across his face, before it was gone in that cold, emotionless mask.

"You're pathetic." I said, disgusted at my own flesh and blood.

I reached on the table next to the computer, grabbing the explosives, and hurling them right at him, then running with everything I had to the top of the stairs, grabbing my kris knife Talia had given me.

I rushed down the hallway, past a protested butler, and out of the house. I ran across the lawn, and when I saw the gates closing, I ran faster, trying to make it. _No, no! Come on, stay open!_

They started closing faster, and I made a jump for it, sailing through the gates, landing in a roll, and jumping up all in one smooth motion. I keep running, running faster and faster through woods, down back roads, and finally getting to town, and by the time I have, I'm practically asleep already.

I find a bench, and sit on it, panting and trying to get my breath back. Why does he have to live so far from town? I looked down at the kris knife, frowning. I shake my head, pulling out my phone, and dialing the number quickly. "Talia?"

"Did everything go according to plan Justine?" She asked, straight to business.

"No." I said. "He knocked me out, and then took my blood while I was sleeping. The otmorozkov ran a DNA test, he knows our secret."

"Not really a secret anymore." She snapped. "I give you one simple mission, and you ruin it, first chance you get! I'm getting quite tired of your long trail of failures."

"They weren't failures." I corrected. "I found out things that we hadn't known, that farmer I was supposed to kill had three children and no wife, I couldn't orphan them."

"You have a weak heart, no excuse!" She snapped. "He was a member of the Russian mob, a murderer! Not to mention that gang you were supposed to protect."

"They were raping women, some of them weren't even women, teenagers!" I protested.

"You couldn't wait until after you took the shipment form them to kill them?" She snapped.

"One more night meant at least one more victim." I pointed out.

"You're making excuses." She snapped. "No more of this!"

I bit my lower lip, "Talia, the game isn't over, I can still-"

"Your orders were to taunt him with your presence, not let him know you're nothing but a violent teenager with _Daddy issues_." She snapped, "Justine, you have only one last chance. One. Last. Chance. Do I make myself clear?"

I swallowed, "Transparently."

"Good, if you do not succeed to keep Batman occupied, you will become a wolf's head, do you understand?" She asked, as if explaining it to a retarded three year old boy.

A wolf's head is a term meaning I was no longer considered human, I was an animal, a criminal to be killed on sight.

"Yes. I won't fail you." I promised.

"Good." she said, "Someone is hacking into this line, dispose of this phone immediately."

She hung up, and I turned off the phone quickly, tossing it into oncoming traffic, and watched as it was crushed under several smart cars. I frowned, who could have hacked it? No one in the League of Assassins, they know better, and no one else in Russia has the ability or the simple knowledge of that phone's existence to attempt it. Must have been _him_.

My suspicions were confirmed when I looked over at the roof top behind me, and barley made out a figure decked out in black. If I got a little closer, I might be able to see a bat on his chest.

He moved slightly, and I knew he was reaching for a grappling line, so I bolted, into the street, jumping onto the hood of a taxi, then a moving van (I sincerely hope they were moving out of Gotham, not into it), then a pick up truck, then I was jumping onto the other side of the street with ease, rushing down the side walk as fast as I could.

I pumped my legs as fast as they would go, trying to outrun him. Get away, and then get to a safe house. There are several safe houses dotted around Down Town Gotham, one in an abandoned soap factory, one in the spare room of a strip club, one in a mattress warehouse, and one in a condemned apartment building owned by Star City businessman Oliver Queen.

I pass by the entrance of an alley, and someone yanks me in. I twist out of their grip, to see a man in his twenties, bloodshot eyes and slightly sweaty. He smells strongly of alcohol, and he twitched, he was high, and addicted.

"Hey there little girl, who ya running from?" He asked, a creepy smirk playing on his lips.

"Batman." I said, trying to sound sarcastic.

He laughed, "You're funny, I like that about you."

He got closer, and I frowned, not like it at all when he grabbed my upper arms to yank me forward.

"I don't have time for this." I snapped, turning to run, but he grabbed my arm, and wrapped his other hand around my waist.

"You ain't going no where baby." He chuckled darkly.

I spun out of his grip, jerking my leg up as quick and hard as I could, right onto his neck. It cracked easily, he was dead. I didn't even bother running out of alley, to much time had been spent.

I scurried up the fire escape as quick as I could go, swinging unto the rooftop and taking off at my top speed. One last chance, that's what Talia said, and that's the only thing I had. Screw with his life and distract him.

A light breeze passed my ankle as I jumped over the alleyway beneath me, and pulling out my knife and slicing the cable before it had a chance to wrap around. My landing could have been a bit more graceful, but whatever.

If he caught me, I was going right back to that cave, and that wasn't the plan, it wasn't the _mission_. I couldn't outrun him, I knew that much, but maybe I could out smart him, unlikely, overpower him, hell no, but, maybe I could out idiot him.

I jumped into the next alley, hitting the ground, and dashing out, find people, make a scene. Before I could duck into a strip club (Gross, but it was convenient, and probably had a few bouncers there to help me out), a leather clad hand yanked me into and alley, and behind a dumpster, hiding me with them in the shadows with ease.

"Hush kitten, I won't harm you." A soft female voice soothed, pulling my closer as Batman dropped into the alley, eyes scanning, giving everything a once over, before looking into the window of the building I had almost run into, eyes scanning it for me, and then pulled away, leaving the alley without a sound.

As soon as he was out of hearing distance, I yanked away form the woman, rolling, jumping up, and then turning to face her in one smooth motion. "Who are you?"

She stood up slowly, walking out of the shadows. She wore a tight leather jumpsuit and goggles, with a leather mask that had cat ears on top.

She smiled, "Catwoman."

The way she said her name, it let you know that she was proud of it, that she would fight for that name with her last breath. I nodded slowly, "I didn't need your help."

"I beg to differ, Batsy's got a little source in there, one little message to him and those bouncers would have throw you out." She said, not really in a way that said 'you are an idiot, how could to do something that stupid?' way, but more of an informative way.

"Thank you for the information." I said, "I'll be sure to remember that."

"Why were you running from Batman anyway?" She asked.

"Is it any of your business?" I snapped.

"I could just knock you out and hand you over to him." She said, her friendly eyes were now cold and threatening. She was not one to talk back to.

"Fine, I pissed him off." I replied.

"He wasn't pissed honey." She said, "He's beyond pissed, he's bordering on crazy beyond all reasoning."

"Fantastic." I said, turning to walk away.

"Kid." She said, her voice sympathetic now, "Do you have a place to sleep tonight?"

I nodded, taking out a slip of paper from me pocket, addresses jotted down with fancy calligraphy. Talia's writing. "Several. What street am I on?"

"Carter Lane." She answered.

I nodded, selecting the closest one from the list. "Thanks cat lady."

I waved her away lazily, following several street signs until I got to the abandoned apartment building.

There was only one room fit to live in anymore, according to the paper, and it had to be on the top floor. Stupid Father, making me run all the way from Wayne manor to Gotham City.

I entered the apartment, finding the mattress filled with fleas from several dead roach carcass that was fumigating the room, and immediately left the bed room, choosing to crash on the couch instead.

I fell asleep almost immediately, legs sore from running, and plans of taking Gotham running through my mind.

**Did I actually just update this? I did. If anyone likes this version of Justin, she might make a guest appearance in Desperate Revenge. Sound interesting? Then review please! ****J**


	3. Counting bodies Like Sheep

Talia had given me access to endless funding, anything I needed, I could buy. But money was all she provided. I had to get everything else on my own. I needed to take over the drug trade right away, no starting small. You wanna be big, you think big. I had no issues with that, thinking big was easy.

But before you rush in blindly threatening drug dealers, you need to know them. You need to find out exactly what buttons you can push and get away with, and more importantly, what you can threaten them with that they'll pay attention to.

Russ Gorman, one of the most important drug dealers on the city, known to everyone who works for him as Gore Man. They call him that because he always ordered his men to cut the bodies up beyond recognition. Dental records were usually necessary to identify the bodies.

I smirked at the teenage boy across from me, He had blonde hair with reddish brown highlights that was in a relaxed mohawk, and he was about as high as you could get. His pupils were blown, and his eyes bloodshot. He was twitching, and laughing, gripping his vodka in a death hold. He had a beautiful girl on each side of him, both practically hanging on his arms. Well, they had been beautiful before they died their hair blonde and bleached the life out of their teeth. The heavy smell of smoke settled over the table as the boy in front of me released his vodka and lit a cigarette.

He exhaled the smoke into my face, not being rude, just to high to realize. "You saying you went toe to toe with the Bat? God girl, you somthin else!"

I chuckled as the girls at each side of him shot me looks. They didn't like the fact a new girl was stealing his spotlight. "I got myself a few screws loose, don't we all?"

He laughed obnoxiously, "You right bout that! But hell girl, the batman? The dark knight? You ain't got a few screws loose, you jus' plain crazy! You gonna die girl!"

"I can keep him off my back." I said, smirking, "I can keep him off your's too, for a price."

Maybe it was just because he was high _and _drunk, but he offered to hear me out, "What you want?"

"I need to know the names of every top ring drug dealer in Gotham City, who they regularly sell to, their monthly income, and most importantly, where they live." I demanded.

He raised an eyebrow, he wasn't stupid, "What you gon' do with that?"

"My business." I said, smirking, "And if you don't accept my offer," I pulled a gun from underneath the table, "I'll shoot you right here and now."

The girls gasped, running off as fast as they could. Cowards.

The boy's eyes widened, and he quickly nodded, "Okay, I'll tell ya everything I know."

I put the gun away, smiling, "I knew we would see eye to eye. You got a name kid?"

"R-Raphael, but, just… c-call me Kerosene."

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, whatever." Stupid met human kids and their nicknames.

The information was very detailed, he got the street and hotel right, even the room number and the time he would be in bed.

Smirked, crouching on his dresser, watching the fat man sleep. He rolled over in his sleep, mumbling about horses, and I slipped off the dresser, pulling out my Kris knife as I got closer. Time to make him scream.

* * *

><p>Russ awoke in a warehouse, small stacks of crates lined the walls, and the lights flickered on and off randomly. He looked around wildly, "What the… where am I?"<p>

"My place." Said a murderous voice with a chuckle.

He jerked his head around, seeing a figure in the corner, shrouded in shadow. "B-batman?"

The figure laughed, stepping out of the shadows to reveal a teenage girl, a red hoodie pulled over her loosely, and a kris knife in one hand. "I'm not Batman, Russ. I'm much worse."

Russ laughed, "What is this, amateur day? Who put you up to this?"

The figure's grip tightened on the knife handle, "Don't take me lightly. Think about the position you're in, a five year old could kill you easily right now."

The man was silent for a moment, but tried to keep up his clam façade. "Kid, if you think that a thirteen year old with a butter knife is gonna scare me, you've got another thing coming."

In a flash of movement, the knife was embedded in Russ's shoulder, and the teenage girl was pulling her hoodie down, smirking at the man's scream. "No one's gonna hear you out here Russy. No one who's gonna wanna help anyways."

The man whimpered, and Justine tore out the knife, grinning wickedly. "Here's the deal scum bag, you work for me now, all of your little workers work for me now too."

The man looked a the girl in bewilderment, who was this cocky teenager thinking that a little pain was going to make him obey? "Fat chance! I'm not gonna tale orders from a stupid kid!"

The girl smirked, "Oh, well then, I guess you better call your guys down here to help you then?" The girl pulled out a black simple cell phone, "The emergency number is 879-0765, am I right?"

The man scowled at this knowledge, "How do you-"

"Sources my good Gore Man, sources." The girl brushed away, "You think the bat is the worst thing you have to worry about in Gotham City? Well, I guess I can't blame you for thinking that, after all, I just got here a few days ago, and look here, I've got one of the most powerful drug dealers in the city right under my thumb."

She shoved the phone next to his ear, "Go on, tell 'em you need help. Since thugs ain't the brightest of people, I'll give ya this, we're on Bird Street, old mattress warehouse."

The man quickly made the call, ordering them to come quickly. The girl did nothing but smirk, and when he was done, walk over to the far wall, fiddling with the lid on a crate. "Organized crime? I expected a lot more, I was trained for a lot more, but this is it?"

The man frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Well numb nuts, I'll give ya the short version, kidnapped, tortured, trained, taught, and _molded_. Molded into the perfect weapon. A weapon designed for one purpose and one purpose only." She said in a dark voice, as if reliving the past through that sentence. She pried the lid off the crate, and dug through the contents. Packing peanuts soon littered the floor, and the man swallowed nervously.

"W-what is this? Some kind of bad secret agent movie?" The man snapped, trying to keep some sense of control.

"Don't put up a front." The girl ordered. "I can see through any lie you ever attempt to tell. I've spent my whole life studying scum like you. I know you better than you know yourself."

She turned to face him, and he was truly unnerved by the look in her eyes, she meant it, she really had done those things. That wasn't what really disturbed him, as a crime lord, he knew when someone was telling a lie. It was a skill he had acquired with the job. He knew when someone was close to breaking, and when they still had fight in them.

She had no fight. She was dead. She was done. A long time ago. Then why on earth did she have the balls to do this? How was she still fighting, when she had nothing left?

She turned back to the crate. "You have questions."

"Who are you?" The man questioned.

"Justine." She answered. "Justine Todd."

She smirked over her shoulder at him, "I thought about making it Justine Mathilda, my one descent parent, but Talia always said I was the spitting image of my father. You know him by the way, he almost put you in jail a few months back. You got out though, cause of money. And you're out here on the streets again, why? Why aren't you where you belong, six feet under with all the other dirt bags in Gotham City? Because Batman, well, to put it bluntly, he has no balls."

The man was taken back, Russ wasn't a stupid man. To be where he was on the crime scale, you had to have a descent intelligence, "You mean-"

"Oh yeah, Batman, the big Gotham guy, _The _Dark Knight, a hell's bat fury in a man, is my daddy." She finally stopped digging through the crate, pulled out a smaller cardboard box, slowly walking towards him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a mess," She shifted the box to one hand, using the other to tap the corner of her head, "Up here I mean. See, when Talia, I believe I've mentioned her, got a little carried away with a torture session, I did nothing wrong by the way, that was just part of the training, I died. Dead, gone, heart no beating no more, brain on permanent shut down."

She set the small box right under Russ's chair, and he started panicking, there was a definite beeping coming from that box. "Fortunately, the beauty queen assassin has herself a little fountain of youth that defies death, and now I'm back!"

She stepped back, spreading out her arms, as if putting on a grand show. "Something happened in that fun little bath time moment, I realized, Batman is such a wuss."

Russ shook his head, "Look kid, I'm really sorry about your screwed up childhood, but look, don't blow me up! Anything you want, it's yours! Money, guns, control, a spot in my ranks, I can give you anything you need, anything you want!"

Justine laughed, "Sorry buddy, you can't give me what I want."

"Yes, yes I can! I can give it to you, just ask me!" Russ begged.

"You know what, why not? No harm in asking right?" Justine asked. "I want Batman's head on a platter. I want all of Gotham."

Russ hesitated, then, shaking slightly said, "I can give that to you, I really can! I'll work at it for as long as it takes, you can have Batman's head, you can have Gotham!"

Justine shook her head, "Sorry, I'm don't make deals with criminal scum."

"You're about to kill me, with a bomb!" Russ screamed, "You're a murderer too!"

She looked shocked, "Me? A murderer? No! What on earth would ever give you that idea Russ?"

The man stared at her in absolute fear, "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm not a murderer, I'm an avenger. You've killed, so you die. Your men have killed, and they'll be here soon. They'll die too. With you out of the picture, the other crime lords will be scared, desperate. You were the main pillar. With that fear, they'll turn to an old habit of desperation. They'll bring back the Red Hood."

"B-but, we haven't done that since-"

"The Joker!" She interrupted, "Yeah, they ain't turning to him again, I'll tell you that much."

She headed for the door, "Gotta be going Gore Man my man, I don't wanna be blown up, I've gotta be fitted for a helmet, preferably a red one."

**FIVE MINUTES LATER, WITH JUSTINE:**

I smirked from across the street as Russ' thugs rushed into the building. I reached into my red hoodie slowly, deliberately. My fingered curled around the triggering device, pulling it out.

I placed my finger over the button, hesitating. Once I pushed this button, the plan was in action, and it could never stop, it would all be undoable. A lifetime of training, definable by this very moment. If they ever make a movie about my life, this part would be right in the middle, the climax, where the all important event takes place. Huh, I kind of want there to be a movie about my life now.

"What's that for, Stray?" Asked a voice behind me.

I looked over my shoulder, to see that lady from a few nights ago standing there. "Oh, hi, uh… kitten lady, is it?"

She frowned, "Catwoman."

"Yeah, sorry, whatever." I brushed off.

She looked curiously at the triggering device in my hands, "Now, what is that for?"

I smirked, realizing I had been a bit to theatrical about this. "It's a starting line."

I pushed the button, and took off running, slipping away while that ridiculous Catwoman lady was taken back by the sudden explosion.

**WITH CATWOMAN:**

I gasped, taking several steps back, and shielding my eyes. When the explosion cleared away, I looked around wildly, "Stray? What did you just-"

She was gone.

I rushed to the building as soon as it was vaguely safe. Why would she blow it up? My questions were answered as soon as I saw the bodies. Burned, broken, scattered, and one in the middle, with the small remains of what I assume was a chair clinging to his limp frame.

"What happened here?" Growled a voice, as batman appeared.

I turned to him, "I… think it was, that… girl you were chasing last night." I whispered. "I saw her blow this place up, but… why would she do this?"

Batman frowned, walking over to the corpse in the chair, "Because she was told to."

He frowned a moment, glaring at the disfigured face, "Russ Gorman."

I raised an eyebrow, "That guy you keep trying to put behind bars?"

He nodded, "Appears so."

"So, was she taking out a competitor, or is it something else? She doesn't seem like a maniac." I mumbled, "I'm sure that there was a reason behind this…"

"Getting attached?" Batman questioned.

I shrugged, "Seemed like a nice kid, ya know, before this place went boom."

He glared at me, "If you see her again, you contact me, _immediately_."

"Sure Jason, _sure_."


	4. Ultimate Teenage Rebelion

I fiddled with the lighter a bit, before successfully producing the flame. As soon as it sparked, I pushed the end of my cigarette into it, and then pulling it out, extinguishing the lighters flame. I put the butt of the cigarette in between my teeth, taking a long drag.

The smoldering, smoky, hot, burning sensation filled my mouth and throat, before I blew it out, staring up at the ceiling of the warehouse I was currently staying at. This place should have been condemned long ago. It's a few screws short, just like my mind.

I chuckled at that, blowing smoke from between my teeth. It's started, now Batman knows that I'm not screwing around, and he'll take me seriously.

"That'll stunt your growth stray." Says a voice that's getting increasingly common to hear around Gotham.

I chuckled, taking in another long drag from the cigarette, turning it around, and blowing it out right into Catwoman's face. "See if I care."

She glared down at me, "I want to talk to you."

"Hate to repeat myself, but," I smirk, letting more smoke drift out of my mouth, "See if I care."

"Do you know what you did tonight?" She asked, still glaring.

I smirked, she was going to get all PMS about that? I thought that was Father's job. "Yeah. I killed a big time drug dealer, along with most of his crew, effectively taking a huge chomp out of the drug trade in Gotham, one that it will never recover from. There's no way Goreman will get out of jail, because he isn't in jail! He'll be six feet under in a few days, and I'll be spitting on his gravestone." I laughed a little, "And an added bonus, I got to basically diss the Batman. I'd say I'm doing pretty well for my first week."

She shook her head, "What I'm asking is, do you know what you've done to yourself? What the mob will do to you once they find you?"

I smirked, "They won't find me."

Her voice turned harsh, "They are not all mindless thugs! It's not hard at all for them to find you, just like I did tonight."

I shrugged, "They can try to find me, and if they do, I'll just shoot them, right between the eyes."

She cocked her head to the side for a moment, "You remind me of someone."

I smirked, knowing exactly who she was thinking of. "Yeah, I know."

I walked past her, over to the far wall, and hoisted myself up onto a crate easily, sitting down on it and regarding her coldly, "You didn't come here to talk to me, you came here to figure out what I'm doing, and when you find out, you'll either try to stop me yourself, or go tattle to Batman."

She raised an eyebrow, "Now why on earth would I ever tell Batman?"

"Because, I know what went on between you and the last Batman." I said, "I sent Talia a text asking if she had any information on Catwoman, and she sent a very detailed E-mail, about everything. You think of Jason as your son, and you will end up helping him."

She shook her head, "Not this time stray. Now, what exactly are you planning to do in Gotham?"

I smirked, "I'm going to kill Batman, but first, I'm going to crush him emotionally, by taking away the thing he loves the most, Gotham. I'm going to make Gotham depend on me, and not on him. I'll make sure that the last thing he knows before I officially end his pathetic existence, is that Gotham will be far better off without him."

She stood there, shocked at my words, and the sadistic smile on my face. "What… Why?"

I shrugged, "For kicks and giggles."

She glared at me, "Not even Joker does something like that for kicks and giggles. What is your real reason?"

I shook my head, grinning, "I'll kill Joker. My real reason? Why, that's relatively simple, because frankly, I hate the douche bat and want him to die."

"Why do you hate him?" Catwoman asked.

"Mr. We-Don't-Kill, ironically, killed my mother, on purpose." I said, the smirk vanishing, and being replaced by a scowl. "So, Talia trained me, my whole life, to get back at him for everything he did to me, and I most certainly will not let her down. Gotham. Will. Be. Mine." I ground out.

She stood there a moment, staring at me, "What's your name stray?"

"Justine." I answered. "Justine Wayne Todd."

Catwoman nodded, "And what makes you think Talia was telling the truth?"

I paused, freezing up for a moment. She smiled a little, not in a smirking, you're stupid way, but more in a sympathetic, almost… motherly way. "My door is always open for you stray."

She turned, walking away, and I snapped after her, "My name is Justine, and you know it! Leave me alone you stupid kitty!"

**TWO DAYS LATER:**

I smirked down at the small handful of drug dealers as they discussed Russ Gorman's death. One tall, white man who gave the impression he thought he was black was being particularly loud. "So what are we gonna do 'bout this yo? Goreman was representin' us on the west side, we can't jus' let dis slide man!"

"Agreed." A far more educated woman spoke up, "However, we have no idea who this was, a new player, or maybe the Batman finally snapping."

I laughed loudly from on top of the tower of crates I was standing on, fingering the trigger of the bazooka strapped to my shoulder, pointed at them. As soon as they turned to look, needless to say, they were scared out of their minds.

"No need to panic folks!" I said merrily. "I'm just here for the meeting!"

"Who are you?" The woman asked, hesitantly. She's smarter than the rest, I'll keep her around longer than them.

"I'm the new Red Hood!" I said, dishing out a tone of sarcastic excitement, "Elected by you all, to find this new threat who killed Goreman, and take them out, while protecting you from the Batman."

They all paused for a moment, before breaking out into nervous laughter. The woman spoke up again, "And what proof do you have that you, a child, can hold off the Batman?"

I smirked, and reached down next to me, dragging a huge duffel bag into view. I reached in it, pulling out a barely breathing short man, vivid lacerations up and down his arms, everything about him screamed 'broken,' and it had all been done by my hand. "Do you recognize this man?"

The woman's eyes widened, "Clint?"

"Yes, your right hand man, who just so happened to be in a heavily guarded penthouse, surrounded by nearly seventy top of the line killing professionals tonight. I still got in, killed off every single one of them, and got him out of there, before having a little fun with him, and a few knives." I pushed him closer to the edge of the tower of crates, and panic crossed her face.

"No wait-!"

I didn't let her finish, and sent him sprawling over the edge, headfirst. He died as soon as he hit the ground.

She bit back a yelp, and covered her mouth with her hand, staring up at me with fear, and respect. Yes, I had just killed her right hand man, who was also a past lover of hers, but I was 'merely a child' and I had done what nearly all adults would have died trying to do.

"I take it that the title is a willing gift?" I asked.

They all looked at each other uncertainly, and then nodded to me. "Great, now, aside form the obvious condition of before you do anything, you okay it with me, there's just one condition." They looked at me, curious, and what Catwoman told me crossed my mind briefly. How do I know Talia has been telling the truth? If she isn't… I'll kill her, but then if she dies, there goes my funding. I need another outlet. "I want ten percent from all of you."

They nodded quickly, ten percent was nothing to them. The woman finally spoke up again, "I take it you'll be needing a hood? I… uh… I have a friend who could acquire one for you. Whatever design you prefer."

I smirked, "No thanks, I'll be getting one shipped in from Russia pretty soon."

_Alright Father, it's your move now_.

**LATER THE NEXT NIGHT:**

Batman couldn't believe his eyes. Or, more appropriately, Jason couldn't believe his eyes. Batman had seen this coming, knew the girl would make her next appearance dramatically. He has known that she would kill, unless he could stop her. Stopping her would be easy, if he knew what she wanted.

Jason had tried to reason against that, but even he knew, this girl was most likely beyond saving. Talia had a way with twisting whoever she trained. She made them think of her as the top authority, god-like.

But he had hoped, he had hoped against hope that this one time, Talia might have messed up, that this girl was sane enough to be reasoned with. That he could save this assassin. That he could save his daughter.

But the huge pile of school buses on fire in the middle of the street told Batman differently. He knows there's no one left alive in there, and he also knows the culprit is watching, from a roof top right above him.

He growled, looking up at the figure, before grappling up next to her. She's dressed differently this time. No dress and high heels, she's got on blue jeans, body armor, and a leather jacket, guns strapped to either side of her legs, and on her back. But that's not what gets him, he can handle the fact that she looks nothing like a vigilante, that there's no cape, or Kevlar. He can over look his own disapproval at her choice of costume, and even her guns. But he has to draw the line at her helmet.

A red helmet, with black and white eye holes. Not a helmet, more of a hood. The Red Hood.

He had heard rumors from his sources on the streets. That they were bringing in the Red Hood. He never thought it would be her. Now he sees why she killed Goreman and all his men. She needed the mob in a state of panic, so they would do something they haven't done since the joker. Bring in the Red Hood.

"Who was in there?" He asks her, Batman dominating his voice, even though Jason wants to be the one to speak, the one to talk to his daughter.

She smirked, "What? No hug hello?"

"Tell me!" He growls.

"Fine." She mocked, "The top dog of every, single, gang in Gotham. From the most ruthless, to the wanna be kids on the street."

He pauses, "Why?"

"To send a message." She said. "To all the scum in this city. They're all at my mercy. Form the serial killers, to the muggers, to the pick pockets."

"And the drug dealers?" He challenged. "For someone who claims to want to stop crime, you're surprisingly working for it."

"Working for it?" She laughs, "They're working for me! They can't touch anyone without okaying it with me first."

"You aren't doing this right!" He snaps, "You're becoming a crime lord!"

"Yes!" She says, "You can't stop crime! You can only control it. And to do that, I have to do what you won't. I have to take them out!"

"You'll become no better than them." He reasoned. "You don't have to though, I can help you, if you let me."

She laughs, "This is the part where I go and hug you, right? Where I tell you I love you and then I start working with you, living with you, and we act all chummy like a good family? What do you think this is, a cartoon? Get over yourself."

He pauses, "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

"Do you recall a woman named Kimberly Mathilda?"

"Yes. She was your mother." Batman answered.

"You killed her." Justin said evenly.

Even Batman is shocked at that. "I didn't kill her. If I did, I would have to kill myself, I could never live with something like that on my conscience."

Justin pauses, staring at him. "Then who did?"

"I don't know." He said. "I didn't think she was dead until you came."

"Then who would know, other than Talia." She asked.

"You can try Selina."

"Who?"

"Catwoman, she was very close to your mother."

Red Hood nods, "Now, just so you understand, nothing has changed between us."

"You know now I didn't do it, why do you still want to do this?" He snapped.

"I feel like it." She said, shrugging. "Be seeing you."

She throws down a smoke grenade, and then she's gone. He has a feeling he'll be seeing her, very soon.


	5. Insanity's Logic

Justine looks completely uncomfortable, sitting across from Selina, in her apartment, which is crawling with cats. Some of them look thinner than others, and Justine realizes that some of them don't stick around all the time. They come and go. The idea is completely foreign to her. Catwoman owned all these cats, they belonged to her, just like she belonged to Talia and Dunya. They shouldn't just come and go whenever they pleased.

Talia would kill her if she did that. Slow and painful.

"So, what was my mother like?" Justine asked.

Selina smiled, stroking a black and grey spotted cat that had jumped up onto her lap, "Your mother was a very pretty, smart, brave young girl. Much like yourself. You have her eyes, and her hair you know."

"And the rest is my father's." Justine waved off, "Yeah. Genetics, I get it."

"I'm convinced you have more of your mother in you than you think." Selina said, "She was a wonderful person, and an even greater hero. She fell in love with your father, a romance forged on the battle field. It was quite romantic, I'll admit."

"I don't wanna hear about my parents being romantic." Justine snapped, "I just want to know, how did my mother die?"

"When your mother found out she was pregnant with you, she was in such shock, she ran off. I remember that night far too well, she came to me, asked me for five thousand dollars, and a ride to the airport."

Selina paused, taking a sip form her tea. Justine didn't drink any, she knew Selina had put sleeping pills in hers, hoping to knock her out. "I didn't hear from her for about twelve months, that's when she started sending baby pictures. See, her parents passed away when she was about your age, her father was killed by a crew working for Black Mask, and her mother died of a broken heart about two weeks afterwards. I caught her trying to pick my pocket one day, and brought her home."

Selina chuckled, "She really surprised me when I found out how well she fought. So, I asked her to become a thief. Told her I'd train her well. She looked me straight in the eyes, and told me no. She said she wanted me to teach her to be something greater than a thief. She wanted to play a much more dangerous game. She wanted to be a vigilante."

Selina sighed, "I agreed, and within a few months she was leaping across roof tops as Blue Jay. So, really, I was like a second mother to her. I flew out to London to see you on your second birthday, your mother had gone there right after leaving Gotham. When I got to the small apartment your mother had been living in, she was dead, and you were gone."

"Who killed her?"

Selina raised an eyebrow, "Stray, it wasn't your father. I know for a fact he was here in Gotham."

"Then who did!?" Justin snapped.

"Well, I sincerely doubt it was Talia herself, she probably sent an assassin to do her dirty work." Selina growled, "If I ever see that woman again, I'll rip out those breast implants with my bare hands."

Justine took a deep breath, "You're sure it was Talia's people?"

"Honey, if Ra's sent them to bring you over because of his interests in you, trust me, you would have gotten a lot better treatment." Selina said. "Her heart is even colder than her fathers."

Justin nodded silently, "Thank you Selina."

Selina frowned, "Do you have a safe place to stay Stray?"

"Safe? No, but I'm not staying here." Justine said, "Can't put you at risk like that. On top of that, I'm more of a dog person."

Selina laughed, "Don't hesitate to ask if you need something."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p><strong>LATER THE NEXT NIGHT:<strong>

Justine glared down at her phone, she knew what she had to do, though she was completely terrified about the idea of doing it.

Talia had lied to her, abused her, and used her. She had sent Justin after the last living relative she had, to put his head on a platter.

Something like that was inexcusable.

On top of that, She had morphed and twisted Justine's brain to consider her father to be the equivalent of the devil. Justin mentally cursed herself for falling for it, for not asking more questions, for not getting more details. She had willingly submitted to Talia's plans for her. Why? Because Justin _really _needed a reason to live, and Talia had given her one. Now she had none.

There was only one punishment for that, but Justin knew she was nowhere high enough of a level to take on Talia herself.

Justine sighed, "What am I going to do?"

She hit speed dial, and Talia picked up on the first ring. "Justine. Report."

You twisted evil…

"Okay, how about this for a report? I know." Justine snarled. "I found out everything, every lie you ever told me Talia. You gave your pet to much leash, and I'm running with it. I've wasted my entire life with you and your ridiculous bin of toy soldiers. I'm ending that tonight."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, "Justine, do not be rash about this, we can talk this over-"

"There is no negotiating Talia." Justine said firmly. "You've stolen something from me I'll never get back, sixteen years of my life, wasted."

"They were not wasted!" Talia persisted. "I forged you into something powerful, your skills rival all in your age group, and many age groups above you. You are just beginning to unlock your potential. I can make you into a warrior that could take out the likes of Lady Shiva, and David Cain."

"I never wanted that!" Justine hissed. "I wanted to be treated like a person, not a slave! Here's the deal Talia, you don't want me to cause trouble, I don't wanna die. You leave me alone, I leave you alone. If you don't leave me alone, I will _bring _this fight to your _doorstep_. I will tear you apart from the inside out. I know things you sought to keep secret from me. I _know _about your son. If you try to send anyone after me, I'll kill your son Talia. I might not be able to kill you, but I can take him away from you forever."

Talia paused, "You hurt one hair on my son's head, I'll kill you."

"I won't hurt him, not if you leave me alone." Justine promised. "First assassin I see, who so much as hints about being sent by you, Damian is _dead_. No fortress can ever protect any man from a woman scorned."

Talia growled, "Justine, this is far from over, you will _crawl _back to me, _begging _for forgiveness, and if I am in a merciful mood, I might see fit to give it to you."

"I don't know what kind of haywires you're used to dealing with _little girl_, but you're dealing with _woman_, who gets what she _wants_. Spread the word to everyone you know, I'm _free_." Justine spat.

With that last word, Justine threw her phone over the edge of the roof, watching as it fell twenty-three stories, and crashed into a dozen pieces as it hit the asphalt.

* * *

><p><strong>TWO WEEKS LATER:<strong>

Ditching anything that might have had tracers on it had been her first move. Her second had been killing anyone she worked with that might have had connections to the league. She only had to kill about eight men, and two women.

Then she had to develop her own sources that would provide her with ammunition, shelter, and money. It wasn't hard.

Of course, all the people in New York who had connections to Talia came after her immediately, and Justine killed them all. Each one was harder than the last, and she had a lot of new scars to show for her battles.

She made her own safe houses, and with her new position as the Red Hood, she had an army of thugs, punk and pimps ready to draw their guns for her.

And Daddy did _not _like it at all.

"This is your final warning Justine." Jason ordered, standing in front of her in full costume, looking at her newest heist.

The decapitated bodies of the men behind the child sex slave ring surrounded his daughter. Batman admired her skill, but hated where it was directed. Blood or not, criminals are hunted down and taken it. Jason shoved Batman away for tonight. Tonight, it was just him, just him trying to save his daughter from a road that lead to a deep pit she would never crawl out of.

"First off, my name is Red Hood." She smirked, "And second of all, warnings, warnings, warnings! I've had just about _enough_ warnings old man. I'm _never_ going to stop protecting Gotham, and you're _not_ going to give it up easily. So there's three ways I see this going, number one, you arrest me, take me to jail, and I bust out about three weeks in, at the most. The cycle continues over and over again, like Batman and the Joker."

Jason wants to flinch at that, the comparison of his own daughter, and the demon clown himself. But he doesn't, because even though Batman might not be the one talking right now, he's still in the uniform. And Batman doesn't flinch.

"Number two, you kill me and end all of this."

"I do _not _kill."

"Number three." Her hand tightens over her hand gun, and he can tell she's smirking beneath the mask. "We see who really deserves to protect Gotham."

Seconds tick by, but they feel like days. Neither one's gaze wavers, neither one's will cracks.

"I can't let you destroy this city." Jason forces out, "You may think you're protecting it, but all you're doing is causing more fear and hate! You're working for the mob, which makes you nothing more than pawn for them. And a pawn for Talia."

"I don't work for Talia! Not anymore." Justine barked out. "And the mob may think they own me, but I do whatever the hell I want, and they stay out of my way. Take a look at what I've already done! I've cut the crime rate in half-"

"And trafficking is nearly triple the average rate."

"Drugs over bodies." Justine shrugged, "See, here's your problem. You're looking at Gotham from a heroes stand point. Bruce's entire training and mission revolved around not killing because of his parents. That's why he never was able to kill. Every moment of training was completed with hatred towards murder. And you were trained by him. So that was put into your mindset as well."

She turned away from him, going to the edge of the rooftop, staring out at the city below as clouds started to gather in the sky. "I'm looking at all of this from a military standpoint. Ask yourself this _Father_. Do you drop a bomb on Iraq, killing all the enemy soldiers and the innocent natives, or do you flood the shores in the blood of US Marines?"

"I go in myself, and I take down every soldier without killing them." Jason answers.

Justine laughs, "Sorry pops, but in a situation like that, not even you could do it. Iraq is a lot bigger than you might imagine, and those men might not be the best shots in the world, but even the greatest assassin fears stray bullets. Truth is, you don't have an answer to that question, but I do. I'd bomb the hell hole."

"And let thousands of women and children die?"

"That's better than _my_ soldiers getting needlessly killed." Justine spat right back. "They have families _too_ you know. Mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, they are all praying for them to come home safely. We protect our own first; we worry about human rights of people halfway across the world second. But you don't know anything about that. Your brain isn't wired to think that way, and for that I pity you."

"I don't need your pity."

"You need _everyone's_ pity!" Justine countered. "For all the suffering you've gone through. The friends you've seen buried, crippled, mentally damaged, and you ones you've had to take down yourself because something inside them just _snapped_ one day, and they just started killing! Your mind isn't whole anymore, I know it. It shouldn't even be running by this point. It's like a horse with a limp that someone keeps entering into a rodeo."

Jason narrowed his eyes, "And, what are you saying?"

"I'm _saying_ that a horse with a limp should be put down. And I _promise_ you father, as a sign of my good will, after I've shown you that Gotham doesn't need you anymore, I'll put you out of your _misery_."

There were very few times that Jason Todd emerged out of Batman's persona, few and far between. But hearing Justine talk like this about him brought out a nearly forgotten side of Jason. The punk ass street kid side of him. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was already attacking Justine.

She ducked under his kick, and tried to drive her fist into his sternum, but he grabbed her fist, and broke her wrist easily. She grunted, and smashed her forehead into his face. He stumbled back, and she took that opportunity to throw down a smoke bomb, disappearing and leaving Jason standing among all of the corpses. Maybe they were her twisted version of a gift.

Everything she was doing, it was all her idea of a present to Jason.

In her eyes, he was worn out, old, and on the verge of becoming pointless. His knife had no edge to it anymore. She was doing him a favor, a great kindness, by taking Gotham from him and killing him, before he failed to protect it, and had to live with that shame.

She was being nice.

She was being a good daughter.


End file.
